Chapter 2 Smoke Rising from Ancestral Graves
The dimly lit, damp room consisted of three walls and a dilapidated door. The north-facing room had no windows, and the dim yellow light from the ceiling shone on the girl beside the bed, flickering in and out.
The girl stuffed the money she received at noon into her slightly worn backpack and tidied up the contents of the backpack.
A pink wallet and an item that seemed out of place in the room—an acceptance letter from Nan'an Middle School, its bold, hot lettering representing the girl's light and future.
Gu Zhaodi stroked the words "Nan'an Middle School" on her admission notice, her eyes lowered, her curled eyelashes illuminated by the light on her lower eyelids, a feeling of joy welling up inside her.
She was very grateful to the person who sponsored her to continue her schooling. If it weren't for this sponsor, she would have been like the other girls in the village, finishing nine years of compulsory education and then going far away to work and earn money.
After thinking for a while, she packed all the things she needed for the start of school into that pitifully small suitcase.
After tidying everything up, the girl went into the kitchen to start making dinner.
Today, Gu Zhaodi's parents returned early from the fields and were resting in the main room. Gu Bao was talking about his day, which made them laugh and say that he was a good son.
"Second Aunt, is Zhao Di here? I've come to see her about something." The voice of my eldest cousin, Gu Ling, rang out from outside.
There was a moment of silence in the main room before Gu Tiezhu, the father, answered, "It's Lingling. Zhaodi is in the kitchen."
When Gu Ling entered the kitchen, Gu's mother said with a displeased look, "Why did you tell her? She's never coming here with good news. She's just like her mother, she can't stand that our family is doing better than theirs."
"In the end, our two families are relatives; his father is my older brother," Mr. Gu said honestly, glancing at his wife furtively.
"You're so stupid, all you know is farming that little bit of land. You're so useless. If it weren't for me, this family would have been ruined long ago." Gu's mother said with a look of disappointment.
Mr. Gu choked without making a sound, simply smoking his cheap cigarette in silence.
In the kitchen
"Big cousin, what do you want to see me about?" Gu Zhaodi asked slowly, looking at the brightly dressed girl in front of her.
Gu Ling crossed her arms and said with a concerned look, "Zhao Di, I'm not trying to criticize you, but if your family can't afford to send you to school, don't waste the money."
Gu Zhaodi paused in her fire-stirring, pursed her lips, and then laughed boastfully, "You don't need to worry about that, eldest cousin. Someone is sponsoring my schooling."
The girl seemed completely unconcerned by Gu Ling's feigned attitude and stated a fact.
Gu Ling's face darkened at these words, but she suppressed her anger and said, "What's the point of studying in high school? You'll end up working to earn money and get married anyway. You might as well start working now and earn more money."
He was incredibly jealous. Why could this brat who had no parents to love her get to go to school, while he had to go out into the world to work and earn money at a young age?
I didn't go to high school, and neither can she. It would be better if she were like me, or even worse off than me.
Gu Zhaodi was not one to be bullied. Her tolerance of her parents stemmed from the years they had raised her, but she would not give in to the person in front of her.
"I know my older cousin is doing this for my own good, but this is just my fate, and there's nothing I can do about it." The girl had a look on her face that said, "Fate has made me this way, and I have no choice but to do it."
Gu Ling curled her lip, snorted, and said sarcastically, "It's no use for you to go to high school. With our education level, you'd definitely be the worst student there."
The education level in Lin'an City is poor, and there is a shortage of teachers. The overall academic performance of students in the city is low. Even Gu Zhaodi, who ranked first in the city's high school entrance examination, has a very low level of performance compared to other students nationwide.
"Thank you for your trouble, eldest cousin, but it's better than having no chance at all, isn't it?" Gu Zhaodi's lips curved upwards, as if she had a bright future ahead of her.
Gu Ling was furious, feeling that her good intentions had been taken for granted. But she still knew whose house this was, so she gave a haughty snort, turned around and strode out of the kitchen.
Watching Gu Ling's departing figure, the girl's unrestrained smile vanished instantly, a chill ran through her heart, and she closed her eyes, forcibly suppressing the emotions in her eyes.
The raging fire in the fire pit reflected on the girl's face, and drops of sweat trickled down her cheeks, down her delicate chin, and onto the ground.
The start of the school year at Nan'an Middle School was just two days away. The distance from Lin'an City to Nan'an City was quite far, so in order to save money, I had to take the train to Nan'an Middle School a day early. Fortunately, I could move into the school dormitory in advance.
Dragging her light luggage, Gu Zhaodi arrived at her doorstep. The suitcase contained only a few of her belongings.
Finally leaving this place, she was undoubtedly excited, but despite feeling uncertain about her future life and studies, she strode away without the slightest hesitation.
In the early morning, just as dawn was breaking and the breeze still carried a hint of coolness, it was a good time to do farm work. People were already moving around in the village, either going to the town market or working in the fields.
Seeing Gu Zhaodi dragging her suitcase, passersby stopped and asked, "Zhaodi, are you going to the city to work?"
Not many people in the village knew that Gu Zhaodi had been sponsored to attend high school; only the Gu family knew. After all, everyone understood the principle of not flaunting wealth.
Even her uncle's family only knew that she was being sponsored to go to school, and had no idea that she received 4,000 yuan a month. Otherwise, her uncle's family would have already brought her grandmother to their house to make a scene and demand money.
"I'm going to high school." Gu Zhaodi paused slightly and answered him with a shy smile.
"Going to high school?" The person asking the question was surprised, knowing that no girl in the village had ever gone to high school before.
Someone nearby said in time, "You don't know? Zhao Di has been sponsored by a kind person to go to high school."
"And it's a high school in Nan'an City. Isn't that an incredible blessing? Nan'an City is a wealthy place. Going to school there is like a meteoric rise to the top."
"Wow, this is truly a stroke of good luck for the Gu family. Nan'an City is a wonderful place."
Some villagers have never even set foot outside of Lin'an City, let alone a bustling metropolis like Nan'an City.
Instead of standing there listening to the villagers' conversation, Gu Zhaodi turned her back on the towering, isolated mountains and walked away.
As she was about to leave the village, the girl vaguely heard her younger brother's voice. She turned her head and saw Gu Bao running towards her, panting and calling out to her.
"Sister, sister, wait a minute."
Looking at the panting little boy in front of her, Gu Zhaodi asked softly, "Gu Bao, why did you chase after me?"
As she spoke, she took out a tissue and wiped the fine sweat from his forehead.
The little boy stared intently at his older sister with his big eyes, asking in a childish voice, "Sister, are you coming home for the holidays?"
He always had a feeling that if he didn't ask, his sister might not come back for a long time, and he would miss her.
The girl paused, remained silent for a moment, then squatted down and patted the little boy's buzz cut. "Gu Bao hopes his sister will come home for the New Year holiday?"
Seeing the little boy in front of her nod vigorously, the girl felt a warm current flow through her heart and said softly, "Okay, sister will come back for the New Year."
The little boy took a small piggy bank out of his overalls pocket and placed it in front of the girl. "This is money for you, sister. Eat well outside and don't be stingy with your money."
The little boy's piggy bank contained all his saved pocket money. He didn't know how much he could buy with the money; he just hoped that his sister could take good care of herself while she was away.
The girl lowered her eyes, her voice slightly hoarse, "Gu Bao can keep this little golden pig for herself. I'm rich and will take good care of myself. You should stay home and be a good girl."
Seeing that the little boy obediently agreed, the girl turned and left.
After walking for a while, the girl turned around and looked back. The little boy was still standing there watching her go. When he saw her looking over, he stood on tiptoe and waved vigorously.
The girl smiled brightly, waved to him, parted her lips slightly, and murmured goodbye.
There were also people who felt sorry for her, liked her, and sent her away from home, weren't there?
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